Report: Manual gearboxes for future BMW M cars in doubt

Declining sales cast doubt for manual M cars

The BMW M division may soon stop making manual variants for its future lineup. Declining sales of M cars with manual transmissions may eventually lead to BMW M phasing out the transmission choice altogether.

Frank van Meel, CEO of BMW M, once said dual clutch transmissions and automatics are good for the brand and both transmissions have a future. When it comes to manual transmissions however, Van Meel said “From a technical standpoint, the future doesn’t look bright for manual gearboxes. The DCT and auto ’boxes are faster and they have better fuel consumption.”

Despite economically unfavorable future of the manual transmission, Van Meel isn't closing the door on manuals completely because of its fan base. "It’s difficult to say we’ll stick to the manual, but we still have a big fan community for manuals and we are not going to take away something the customer wants to have.” said Van Meel.

Van Meed also said that the current power limit for BMW M cars is 600 PS. “We’re at the limit. If you go on adding more horsepower and torque, it’d probably be over the limits.”

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